Drake Passage
We bid farewell to Ushuaia just before 20.00 hours and gently sailed east down the Beagle Channel. It was between the years 1831 and 1836 that H.M.S. Beagle sailed through these waters charting these areas. On board was a young naturalist who was Captain Fitzroy’s companion, his name: Charles Darwin. After exploring the Patagonian coast and unearthing many fossils he came south and whilst sailing in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Success, near the eastern tip of the Beagle Channel, he made the decision to dedicate himself to Natural History and hoped to make “some small contribution to it.”
Later on in the night we headed southwards and into the open sea. The motion became more marked and for the rest of the night and morning the ship was rocked sideways with the swell coming from the west.
After meeting the expedition staff, there were opportunities to head to the stern of the ship and sight some of the seabirds which kept us company. We were enthralled by the wondrous Wandering and Royal Albatrosses, which effortlessly glided past the ship and then headed off far astern and then with seemingly no effort at all were once more just off the vessel. It is a flight master class. These are no ordinary seabirds, they have evolved into these magnificent creatures, perfectly adapted to living at these high latitudes and able to search out their food and in doing so cover thousands of sea miles during their long lives. It leaves one humbled and amazed.
Both in the morning and afternoon we also had the chance to attend lectures about the geology and seabirds of Antarctica.
By early afternoon we had crossed the Antarctic Convergence and so crossed the biological boundary of Antarctica. The lower air temperatures let us know that this has happened. Later on just after re-cap we heard that we had also crossed the political boundary, which is the 60th parallel.
The seas gradually became calmer throughout the day allowing the ship to make very good progress south and also making life on board more comfortable. However, as all settled down to a second night of rest, it was the images of the albatrosses and their aerial ballet which remain foremost in our minds.
